Falling Deep
by XImitatiaX
Summary: I can't believe I fell in love with this guy. Just getting to know him was dangerous enough, but I let him right into my heart, and I let myself fall deeper into this mess. "This - this is really bad," I murmured, face blushing, voice small. I could feel him smirking in delight. "I warned you, but since I'm selfish, I wouldn't have it any other way."
1. Chapter 1

_Fairy Tail and its characters belong to Hiro Mashima-san. If I did own it though Gray and Lucy would be together already. Kukuku x3_

_Now that that's out of the way… This is my first fanfic! Warning is that there's always swearing, maybe suggestive themes, and violence, and crime, etc. Reason this isn't M is because I'm not writing any lemony stuff because I'd be blushing like some stupid idiot while writing it. I wouldn't even be able to go on…This is Lucy's POV only and her thought - another warning…she's OOC. Maybe some others characters as well..._

_Enjoy :D_

* * *

**FALLING DEEP**

**Chapter One**

It all started when Mom and Dad started fighting. The constant yelling, swearing, and threats would echo through the apartment, and I would try to focus on homework or try to fall asleep, but I couldn't. I would always listen.

It sounded so one-sided. The only person that actually yelled was my dad, and my mother would just be defensive to my father's irrational accusations of whatever bullshit that ran out of his mouth.

There was this one night when he was extremely mad. The type of mad where you know when to back away, and hide under a bed or in a closet. His face was red, his eyes blazing with fire, veins popping out of his neck, and his voice was so loud when he screamed at Mom. But this one time he actually hit her.

It became more constant, and I noticed that it was affecting me too. I became a loner at school and realized I was facing reality head on. Everyone asked what happened to my bubbly self, and I would just say that I grew up. So I left my old immature friends behind and moved on. That's all I ever wanted to do. It was to move on.

I would become a punching bag (verbal) for Dad's stress when he came back from work. He would insult when I didn't do something correctly. I got so annoyed that I actually dared to raise my voice and yell at him. My mom eventually got sick of all the shit that was going on, so she left. And I happily went with her to Hargeon.

We had a lot of fun together while it lasted. Yes, while it lasted.

In the middle of my junior year she got sick. Every day she would get weaker and paler until eventually she had to stay in bed. A week later she passed away.

I cried to my heart's content, and the heaven's cried with me. My father was there, and to my surprise, he was crying too. His faced looked so distraught. So regretful…

Since I wasn't eighteen yet, I couldn't live by myself, so I was put back into my father's custody in Magnolia. I didn't think I would survive living with my father or transferring to a different school for my last year. I was barely managing. School didn't even start yet, and my father was just…lost…

He would never look at me because when he did his eyes would consume in regret and guilt, so he barely spoke to me, probably because I'm like a carbon copy of my mother. He just went on with his life, and I went on with mine. I was just happy he wasn't part of it anymore.

The only thing I focused on was school and more school and maybe a sport here or there to keep myself in shape.

I noticed that I used to be a preppy, happy girl that would love to go out with friends in middle school. Now I'm a serious young woman that would never love to go out even if it saved her life. I just wanted to move on with life and get out of this depressing house that I lived in.

* * *

First day of school was right around the corner. I mean, literally. I just had to walk around this stupid corner, and then it would be towering above me like all schools usually do on the first few days.

The only thing that really cheered me up was my morning Starbucks hot chocolate. No, I don't drink coffee – it's terrible! No offense to the coffee fans out there. I just feel more like a kid with hot chocolate.

Walking around this stupid corner – I was right – the school towered over me like a freaking giant. It was actually the biggest, fanciest school I had ever seen. It looked really gorgeous with the architecture, and the campus was just…damn. No words can describe how beautiful everything was. I suddenly felt very conscious with how I was dressed because with such a nice school there had to be some snobs, right?

I was wearing denim mini shorts, black converse, a black tank, and a studded belt… Also, I have a habit of black eyeliner, and I have two piercings on each ear with my blonde hair down… So far I've seen slutty and modest. I know I was wearing mini shorts but compared to those sluts, it was nothing.

Continuing on…

I'm finally in the middle of the courtyard standing there like some lost idiot caught in headlights because my eyes grew like the size of dinner plates when I actually got a closer look. My eyes stopped on the gold – real fucking gold – fountain that was spewing some majestic water that sparkled. I almost walked up there to take a sip, thinking that maybe it was the Fountain of Youth. I quickly relinquished the thought because that certainly wouldn't have been the best first impression to this snotty, rich school. I'd probably be labeled as some dumb, blonde chick that can't even pay to drink from regular plastic water bottles.

I delightfully sipped my cup of hot chocolate when suddenly this short blue-haired klutz bumped into my elbow. Not like a gentle bump, but the type of bump that whatever you're holding just wants to jump put of your hand and spill all of its contents on you. Except…my precious hot chocolate didn't splash on me (thank god). So instead it landed on this small blue-haired chick's companion. I would have laughed out loud if it weren't for the fact that this dude had piercings everywhere and a permanent scowl on his face. The most stunning thing was the dude had ridiculous crimson red eyes that glared a hole right through my head. If looks could kill I'd already be six feet under…

This guy turned to me, grasping the empty cup into a tight fist. The hot chocolate dripped off his long, black hair. His muscles suddenly caught my eye and then me, being all stupid and shocked and whatever random shit, I said, "Well fuck, you owe me a hot chocolate."

Now let me just say this triggered a lot of responses. This petite chick with blue hair laughed so hard tears were literally springing out of her eyes then there was this other random chick with long brown hair that slung an arm over my shoulder saying, "You're so gonna fit in." My nose scrunched up in distaste. Her breath smelled like alcohol. Actually, not just here breath, but her whole presence reeked. Then the dude with crimson eyes looked like he was about to strangle me when a laughing pink-haired idiot suddenly showed up and tackled him to the ground. Obscenities flew from both of their mouths, and they started rolling around and punching each other. Then (don't worry, last thing) this new chick with red hair stomped up barbarically to the brawling idiots and started knocking some sense into them…literally. And I…I just blinked three times and said, "What the fuck?"

Yes, I know I have a potty mouth but seriously, what can I say to this? They're like a bunch of lunatics.

I started to slowly back away with wide, alarmed eyes when suddenly a hand shot out and grabbed my arm, dragging me towards the idiocy that was going on. Out of reflex, I flipped this person over my shoulder, and they came crashing to the ground with a snapping sound. I was about to zip out of there until I saw blood seep onto the concrete. Me being me…I freaked out.

"Oh holy shit! Are you okay?! I'm so sorry! It was reflex! I–" My mouth snapped close and my eyes became wider when this guy with spiky orange hair sat up like it was nothing. He took my breath away. This dude was very – and I mean _very _– good-looking, minus the blood smeared across his nose and the broken glasses. What creeped me out was that he grinned…

He fucking _grinned_…

It wasn't the grin that creeped me out – scratch that – the grin was the creepiest thing ever, but to make things even more creepy his eyes seem to have lost it. They had this kind of lost, insane look in them, but at the same time they were focusing on me.

"Natsu, get Loke to the infirmary, and Cana… Stop drinking!" a voice said. I looked up to see the redhead.

"Why does it have to be me, Erza?" Natsu complained with a whiny voice.

"Oh come on, Erza," Cana whined along with him.

"Natsu." Erza's voice was sharp and threatening. "If you don't get you and Loke's asses moving to the infirmary I will make sure that you'll be in the hospital for the next decade."

"Aye!" Natsu squeaked with a salute. The next second, he and Loke were gone. Cana sadly tossed her beer bottle into the trashcan and walked away to class.

The next thing I knew these shadows towered over me, and I couldn't help but gulp. Was I going to die?

"Hey, new girl. Earth to new girl!" A hand waved over my face, and I dumbly looked at the owner and said the most intelligent thing in the world.

"Huh?"

"She's out of it Erza. I think we scared her shitless," the guy with red eyes said. Erza just punched him in the jaw, which caused a mini brawl between the two. While that was happening, I dully noticed that Erza was wiping the floor with this guy before a figure stepped in front of my vision.

"Sorry about that. Magnolia High gets pretty crazy," the blue-haired girl said. She flashed me a smile, which I shakily returned. "You must be new. I haven't seen you around before."

"Yeah," I finally said. "I just moved here because…" I trailed off into a soft, barely audible voice. I just realized that I was going to tell her my mom died. I can't just go around telling my life story to random people. What the hell is wrong with me?

"Because of my dad's work," I continued. Her brown orbs looked at me somewhat curiously, but this girl blinked, and the expression was gone. She just smiled again and held her hand out.

"My name's Levy, and the guy you spilt coffee on was my boyfriend, Gajeel. You don't have to worry about him though. He's actually a softie on the inside. And sorry about triggering this whole mess," she said apologetically.

I looked at her hand for another few seconds before I realized that I was on all fours on the ground. I got up slowly, dusting off whatever imaginary dust there was on my clothes. I grasped her hand with a smile of my own.

"Hot chocolate," I said.

Levy raised her eyebrows in surprise. "That's your name?"

I chuckled and shook my head. "It was hot chocolate, not coffee. My name's Lucy, by the way."

Levy laughed and shook my hand. "You are so going to fit in with us."

She let go of my hand while I asked, "How so?"

"Every person we have ever came across since freshman year has always looked at us like we were a bunch of lunatics" – I thought the same thing too – "and usually when we would introduce ourselves they'd run off like a chicken without a head or something. You're the first person who has ever stayed, so I would gladly introduce you to my friends."

"Before that…" I said, warily glancing at the big ass school. Levy glanced at me with a knowing smile.

"You want me to show you around, right?" she asked, more like stated.

"Yeah, I think that would be a good idea, so I won't be standing around like an idiot with a map upside down in my hands," I said, easily picturing the thought. I was that type of person, but I really didn't give a shit about what people thought.

"Psh, don't worry about that," Levy dismissed. "The thing here is getting to know people, but it would be better to show you around, so then you don't accidentally walk into a janitor's closet."

I laughed at that. She then followed my laughter. And it wasn't just laughter to just go along with me. It was genuine. Levy was accepting me for who I was. I didn't have to pretend to be someone else. I could just be myself. If she was like this, I'm betting that her group of friends were all like her. Maybe this year wouldn't be so bad as I thought it would be…

So Levy walked me through all my classes before lunch – we had the same schedule coincidentally – and she said some of her friends were in my classes, but she thought it would be easier if she introduced them at lunch, which I can understand…somehow. What caught my interest was the white tattoo that was outlined in orange that I spotted on her left shoulder blade. The only reason I was able to see her tattoo was because she was wearing an orange tube top. It was white and looked like some bird? Or fairy?

I shrugged it off and made a mental note to ask her about it later.

I couldn't help but notice that in the hallways I'd see these snobby girls in their sorority group. If I had the urge to vomit it would definitely be on their faces. Yes, I could feel this ugly vibe radiate off of them. Levy told me to ignore them because this group was basically a fangirl club, and they'd gush over the guys in their group.

"Great," I muttered sarcastically.

"Don't worry, just sock them in the jaw if they ever try to make your life miserable. Don't worry about the consequences either, no one likes them," Levy informed. "Even the teachers dislike them; they just tolerate it somehow."

"Are there a lot of groups?" I asked. I was curious because at my old school it was the normal type of high school where there were the geeky/nerdy people, jocks, preps, and whatever else you could think of. I don't know what group I was really a part of. I don't think I was really part of one after my mom's death. I just remembered being called a hot emo chick.

A thoughtful expression spread across her face. "Other than those sluts over there, not really. I mean, my group is…" She trailed off, trying to find words to describe her friends, but I found slight hesitation in her eyes. "My group is…unique. I can't really describe them that well."

"I guess I'll find out when you introduce me to them," I said with a smile. "My first impression of you guys was that you guys were crazy, but you guys seem like a fun group."

Levy gave a small side smile. "We are. There's not a day when nothing happens."

I don't know what made me shiver, but the way she said it was almost…ominous. Maybe not ominous, I just felt like there was some subtext in what she just said. At least that's what my gut was trying to say.

We entered two double doors, and the sound of several voices speaking at once filled my ears. I saw a variety of people laughing chatting, and horsing around, but the distinct people that stood out to me was the round table near the corner. I had to say they picked the perfect place.

It was in a nice secluded area where there weren't a lot of bustling people, and it was near the windows where they had a good view outside to the courtyard and the overall cafeteria.

"Do you guys always sit back there?" I asked even thought I already knew the answer.

"Always," was Levy's firm reply. "There was someone that tried to sit with us one time in sophomore year… He ended up in the clinic with a broken nose and black eye."

My throat went dry. Wouldn't I end up like that if I were sitting at the table?

"Hey, no worries," Levy said. "I invited you over, and most of the people you met this morning already like you."

"How can you be so sure?" I asked warily.

"Because I know them better than anyone else."

Another thought occurred to me just then. If that guy tried to sit with them did that mean…

"Are you guys popular or something?"

Levy laughed. "To the entire student body? I guess so. Even in freshman year, we were above the seniors. I guess it's just the air we have around us. We end up having a lot of admirers, not just fangirls and fanboys, but what I mean is that they have a certain admiration for us for some reason or another. We don't really know ourselves."

"Interesting…" I paused for a brief moment. "So how did I end up here again?"

"Because you are who you are," Levy smiled.

And that's all I needed to hear.

So we walked up to the table, and on our way there I could feel all eyes on me and hushed whispers. Great, just great…

We arrived at the circular table, and I saw the same exact people this morning plus some others that I didn't know. Levy took the empty seat next to Gajeel, and I calmly sat beside her, trying to remember that she liked me for who I am, so I should just be myself. This is gonna be hard with all eyes on me…

"Hey guys, this is Lucy. Lucy, these guys are my friends," Levy introduced. She started with the person next to me.

"That's Lisanna." Oh, wow, she was pretty. She had short snow white hair and crystal blue eyes that stood out. She smiled at me, and I smiled back.

"The pink-haired guy next to her is Natsu. You saw him this morning." He grinned at me and gave me a thumbs up. Pretty good-looking guy…

"Then next to him is Cana. You also saw her." I looked at her more closely, and she was really pretty too. A different kind than Lisanna though. She giggled and waved at me with a bottle of wine in hand this time. Where she got it from? No idea.

"Then there's Juvia right next to her." This chick had wavy blue hair and pale skin. I'm just going to have to say that all the girls at this table are gorgeous. Period. She tightly smiled at me, but her eyes…glared at me? Oh god, seems like I have an unintentional enemy already.

"Then the mysterious looking guy next to her is Gray, and he's-" Levy immediately shut her mouth as his eyes sharply glanced at her, but his face remained stoical. I saw Juvia was scowling at me in my peripheral vision. So she had some infatuation with Gray then? I inspected him only for a few seconds not to have Juvia on my back.

Well fuck, another good-looking guy. This guy was hot. Like really _hawt. _He had spikey raven hair and navy blue eyes and damn… He body was like the shape of a V. Yes, he was lean and muscular and everything… Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit. I had to keep a straight face.

His eyes shifted from Levy's to mine, and my breath almost hitched in my throat. They were beautiful and intriguing, so intriguing that they seemed to have been hypnotizing me and pulling me in, but I saw they held…nothing. Just a cloud of mystery… The corner of his lips barely lifted up into a small, amused smirk. I don't know what happened, but I think I mirrored his visage because his eyes flickered almost dangerously.

I blinked and moved onto the person sitting next to him just as Levy introduced her. "This is Erza, she's the one that took care of Natsu and Gajeel this morning." I looked at her and strained a smile. I labeled her as the barbaric woman. I mean, she kicked Gajeel's ass like it was nothing.

"Then beside her is Jellal, the guy with the weird looking tattoo."

"It's not weird, it's intricate," Jellal retorted calmly, sipping his cup of whatever he was drinking. He was good-looking like every guy at the table, but he seemed a bit more…civilized, intellectual? Hell, I wasn't even sure.

"Whatever you say, Jellal. Then the guy next to him is Loke. He's the guy you judo-flipped to the ground." I nervously chuckled when I saw the bandages around his face over his nose. He only flashed me a seductive smile, which I revolted. I figured he was a playboy.

"Last but not least, my boyfriend Gajeel. The guy you spilt hot chocolate on," Levy said. Gajeel growled as some snickers left their mouths.

"Yeah, you still owe me a hot chocolate," I said. I don't know why I said it, but I just did. I was a chocolate addict, and I hated when it was wasted, and I wasn't going to let it go.

"You can't be serious," Gajeel growled.

"Oh, I'm serious," I said firmly. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Erza smirk in approval of some sort. I smirked too, realizing that she, just like I, were strong independent women. We were definitely going to get along well.

"She's serious Gajeel," Levy smiled smugly. "And I'm going to see through that you'll buy her one, and if you forget you'll have to buy her one every day of this week."

Gajeel just shook his head with a side smirk. He reached over Levy's small frame and ruffled my hair. "You got some spunk there, Blondie. I like you already."

I gave a crooked smile. "Feeling's mutual," was what I replied. We bumped fists. Well, I got a new badass friend already. How great was that?

"Where'd you come from?" Natsu asked with a mouth full of food. My left eye slightly twitched as I saw food fly from his mouth. Lisanna cringed as it landed on her face. What I saw next was not what I would have ever expected from this pretty chick.

Lisanna place her hand at the back of Natsu's head, and she smashed his face into his food. I silently passed her a napkin, and she gratefully accepted it. But with that question in the air everyone's focus was on me again. I fixed my hair that Gajeel messed up, and while I was at it I simply said, "Hargeon."

Loke whistled. "Why would you move from there? That place is gorgeous compared to here in Magnolia. Not to mention it's next to the sea. Must be nice and fresh there."

"Yeah, it's nice," was all I could say, but then I added, "Hey, Magnolia isn't half bad as Crocus."

"You've lived in Crocus?" Natsu asked, once again food spewing out of his mouth. Lisanna only sighed and disgustedly swiped of the wet crumbs from her face. "That's so cool!"

"Not for very long, but I've been there long enough to know that it's much busier than Magnolia," I said.

"It _is _the capital. What can you expect?" Jellal said rhetorically.

I answered anyway. "Oh, I don't know, flying ponies and a pot of gold. It _is _the capital after all."

Jellal cracked a small smile at my sarcastic tone while Natsu just laughed and said, "She's got some sass! I really like this chick!"

"Tell me, are you single?" Cana asked with genuine curiosity. Whoa, whoa, whoa, was she implying that she was lesbian? And holy fuck, how is she sober all of a sudden?!

"Yes…"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"How can some gorgeous girl like you be single?!" Loke butted in, incredulous. I looked at him and almost laughed out loud. He thought I was gorgeous? Well, that was like the best compliment I had ever received in my life, but I don't have _that _much self-esteem. I lost some confidence in my self-image because of my father throwing insults all those years ago. It still stuck to me. I could even feel my doubt now. I think my doubtfulness appeared on my expression because Lisanna looked at me like I had three heads, giving me a girl-you're-gorgeous-and-don't-deny-it look.

"Because I'm not looking to be in a relationship…" I stated. To me it sounded almost unsure, but it was true. I wasn't looking for anyone. No one at all…

"Ha, you should meet my sister, Mira," Lisanna suggested wryly. I suspiciously looked at her.

"Why?"

Cana laughed and nodded her head. "You definitely should. She's a matchmaker. She could help you with anyone or pair you with anyone. Amazing talent she has, I tell you."

"I don't know if that's a talent," Lisanna said with raised brows.

"Does uncanny ability sound better?" I asked.  
"That fits much, much better," she said with approval.

"Maybe you should try going out with me, Lucy," Loke proposed flirtatiously.

There were a few seconds of silence that followed. I blinked as his proposal registered.

"No."

Everyone laughed when his sparkliness immediately died with his face crossing the emotion of shock and horror.

"Your first rejection this year, pretty boy, and on the first day. You must be losing your skills," Gajeel mocked.

"I'm not losing any of my skills. They're perfect," Loke defended.

"Then how come you don't have a girlfriend then?" Gajeel challenged with a victorious grin.

Loke remained silent then said, "Haven't found the right one yet. Besides I'm not the only guy without a girlfriend here. Natsu, Gray, and I are all single."

Jellal sighed. "Well, Gray isn't looking for any romantic relationship." He looked pointedly at Juvia, who just looked at the ceiling. My eyes shifted to Gray to see his reaction, and I found him staring right back at me, face devoid of any emotion. I was about to stiffen when I noticed that his eyes were looking past me, right over my shoulder.

He was completely out of the conversation.

"And Natsu's too dense," Erza finished.

"Hey!" Natsu shouted indignantly.

The rest of the conversation was lost and muffled to my ears. I was interested as to what he was looking at behind me. I was about to turn around when his deep, velvet voice spoke.

"Don't turn around. Shift to the left." I listened. And it was the best decision of my life.

* * *

_Well then…what do you guys think..? And yes, I just put a cliffhanger in the first chapter :O_

_Evil? Yes, yes I am :P_

**_Preview of Ch2:_**

_I dumped all my school stuff on my bed, thanking luck once again that I didn't have any homework, but I swore there would be a bucket poured over our heads. Fuck, I already felt the headache coming. I shook my bag one more time and saw a small parchment of neatly folded paper float out of my bag. It landed neatly on the floor right beside my foot. I picked it up and sniffed it and immediately coughed with my nose scrunched in distaste. It smelled like girly perfume. Shuddering from the strong smell, I opened the note carefully to see bold letters in all caps._

_**WATCH OUT.**_


	2. Chapter 2

_Fairy Tail and its characters belong to Hiro Mashima-san. _

_Enjoy :D_

* * *

**FALLING DEEP**

**Chapter Two**

* * *

When I said that it was the best decision of my life, I was exaggerating. It was _one _of the best decisions of my life. Reason why was because when I shifted to the left like Gray told me to a tray metal tray sailed past me. I felt the tailwind as it whizzed past the side of my face. The metal tray went on sailing, but Gray easily caught it with his hand without a spare glance at the scrap piece of metal.

I noticed that when Gray spoke everyone at the table stopped talking, and they all intently looked at him. I inwardly shrugged it off because he rarely talked, so I would figure that his friends were eager to listen and hear to what he had to say.

Gray was still looking past me, and I barely could see the tiniest hint of a frown appear on his lips. He looked displeased to say the least. With a tired sigh Gray said, "They're coming over."

"And I thought Juvia and Erza scared them off already," Cana remarked.

"They're a stubborn bunch," Jellal commented back. "They won't back off until they get what they want."

"So what should we do this time?" Loke asked. "I flirted with them enough. It doesn't seem to satisfy them."

"That's because you're losing your skills," Gajeel said again smugly.

"Shut up!"

"Now's not the time to be fighting," Erza said with a deep scowl.

"Yes ma'am!" The two saluted. I almost laughed if it weren't for Gray's narrowed eyes, and the shadows that suddenly loomed over me. I still didn't turn around.

The entire cafeteria became silent. It was almost deafening in a way. Some students quietly left before anything ugly would start, and I had a hunch it would.

I heard a sickly sweet voice talk, "Gray, how come you let this blonde slut sit with you? We're much better than…her." That bitch did _not _just do that. She said "her" as if I were some piece of trash. My fingers twitched, about to clench into a fist and sock her in the jaw.

Erza narrowed her eyes. "Watch what you're saying, Sloan." Her voice was calm and deadly as can be. "You don't know who you're dealing with." Once again, I noticed the underlying ring to it.

"You should feel privileged that I'm asking to be with your group. Not just for me, but for us," Sloan said, motioning to her group behind her. "We've been trying since freshman year, and this newbie gets to sit with you guys like she's part of the group already!" She started fingering my hair, and I knew exactly what she was going to do.

"Don't even think about it," I warned. "By the way, my name's Lucy, not blonde slut, you fucking Barbie doll."

Just as Sloan clenched my hair to pull it, I reflexively grabbed her arm and flipped her over onto the table with a clang. Luckily, all the food was gone, but I bet the leftovers smeared all over her back.

Her entourage of Barbie dolls gasped, and she slowly sat up in horror, realizing her clothes were covered in sticky leftovers. Natsu and Gajeel cracked up while Loke was partially shocked (he _was _a victim). Levy and Lisanna were completely shocked out of their wits while Cana blinked and rubbed her eyes, wondering if she was drunk or not. Jellal thought out loud saying, "Couldn't we do this in a more civilized way?" Erza shook her head in reply with a small smile on her face. Juvia just rolled her eyes and gave me a look saying I-so-could've-done-better-than-that while Gray was…just being Gray.

Sloan turned around and growled at me. "You bitch!" She raised her fist to strike me, but before I even blinked a hand caught her wrist from behind.

"You just don't seem to get it, Sloan," Gray said. His eyes were narrowed dangerously, and his grip seemed tight because Sloan's face looked like she was in pain. But hey, she deserved it. "You're presence is demeaning."

Sloan's fist slackened when Gray let go of her. She got off the table and left with her Barbie group just like that. I watched her go with my brows scrunched down. That was bizarre…

"Does this happen every day?" I asked.

"Yup," Levy nodded. "Other than you flipping her on the table. Pretty much yeah."

I scratched the back of my head sheepishly. "Sorry, that was reflex."

"Are you kidding?!" Natsu laughed. "That was fucking awesome!"

"For once, I agree with the flaming idiot," Gajeel concurred with a nod of approval.

"Who are you calling an idiot?!" Natsu shouted.

"You, stupid!" Gajeel growled.

Their heads clashed against each other's while they comically glared with some lightning in their eyes. The whole group sweatdropped, and I couldn't help but go along with them. In a few seconds flat, Erza's eyes flashed a demonic red, and the two brawling idiots were suddenly being dragged to class by the scruff of their necks with giant lumps and bruises all over their bodies. Lisanna, Levy, and I snickered behind our hands, but we didn't miss the glares coming from Natsu and Gajeel.

"I figure that happens every day," I laughed.

"Every day," Lisanna confirmed.

"Every hour," Levy remarked.

"Every minute," Erza said.

"Every second," Cana said with a sigh, chucking her empty bottle of wine into the trash bin. The group dispersed after that.

"See you guys later~" Levy chirped with a wave of her hand.

Levy was then next to me, and we were off to our last two classes. All I remember about that day was that since Levy and I were chatting about music we didn't notice the giant dictionary in front of the staircase going down. I bet you can guess what happened, but I'll tell you anyway.

Being the klutz that she was, Levy tripped over the goddamn dictionary and grabbed the closest thing she could hold, which apparently was me. Now the both of us were airborne and about to tumble down the staircase to our ultimate deaths. Yeah, I know that I'm making this a bit dramatic, but when you skip a step sometimes you always feel that jolt of panic. Just multiply it by tenfold.

To our relief, Gray grabbed both of us by the collar of our shirts and easily placed us back on the ground. Levy and I hugged each other like we were long, lost friends, and Gray chuckled at us from behind. Now that I thought about it… How in the freaking hell did he manage to lift the both of us so easily? That was like…inhuman. I mean I knew he had a great build and everything, but it almost seemed like an uncanny ability because it was almost physically impossible without grabbing onto something for support. I would've thought that he would've fell _with_ us… Damn, I was getting too scientific here and decided to brush off the whole incident because I was overanalyzing things.

I slowly turned my head to Levy, who seemed dazed with a lost look on her face. My face was stoic while I said slowly, "You…are such a klutz."

"I know, I know. I'm sorry, Lucy. First the hot chocolate then this…" She glared at the huge dictionary on the floor, and I glared with her. We had this silent agreement and eventually pushed the damn thing down the stairs. We smirked at each other, and a few seconds later we heard a shout of pain from below, which widened our smirks.

"Satisfied?" Gray asked with a raised brow.

"Yes, yes we are," Levy answered with a hefty nod.

"Oh yeah, thanks for catching us," I said, glancing at him. I completely forgot that he was there with us. Man, he was like a silent shadow.

"Just be careful," he warned.

"Do you have our next class with us?" Levy queried.

"Why else would I be following you?" he asked rhetorically.

"True that," was all I said.

I'm not going to go into extreme detail about the rest of school, but I was keenly aware of the ferocious glares from Sloan and her group, and I was thanking luck that I only had her in one class. Also, I always felt Gray analyzing me. I would inconspicuously look at him, but his attention would be somewhere else, and he always looked like he was thinking. I don't even know how to describe it, honestly, but it's like he's interpreting each of my actions and words and seeing if I belong or not. I figured that Gray was the leader of this interesting group. How he managed to control all these unique people? No fucking idea…

All right, now it was the end of the day, and I waiting for Levy and Cana at the front gate of the school. I impatiently tapped my foot on the ground and scanned my eyes across the campus. I spotted the both of them talking with Gray, and their faces were serious. I saw them nod, and they started walking towards me. Gray's eyes caught mine, and we gazed at each other. Mine with confusion and curiosity and his shrouded with mystery as always. I couldn't tell what his emotions were, and I bet he read me like an open book because his eyes gave away one thing: amusement. He knew that I was trying to figure him out, and he was actually being smug about it. Natsu and Gajeel came up behind him, and he blinked and turned away.

I growled. If that was a challenge, I was definitely taking it. I shrugged it off as Cana and Levy walked up to me with smiles. We walked off chatting and what not, but I could feel someone following us. They showed me around town, and I forced myself to focus on Levy and Cana, but I noticed their tight expressions. They knew too.

It was around eight in the evening when we arrived to my house. I laughed when both of Cana and Levy's jaws literally hit the ground at how huge my place was.

"Holy shit," Cana breathed.

"Your place is ginormous!" Levy remarked with eyes wide.

"Yeah, I know," was all I said. I waved them goodbye and shook my head with a crooked smile on my face when they just stood there in shock. "I'm going to be moving out soon, so don't get used to this place." Before they could question what I meant, I closed the front door to my house and sighed, leaning against it with my back. I sighed when I heard them shuffle away.

I at least accomplished two things today. First off, I made friends. Yay! I have a social life! Second, I made enemies already. I wasn't really trying to accomplish that, so I changed that to finding where all my classes were and knowing at least three of my teachers' names was another accomplishment too. Man, I did more than two. I'm such an overachiever.

Lifting myself off the door, I kicked off my shoes in the closet nearest to the door. I peered into the kitchen, looking left and right. I grinned, feeling like some badass spy. I tiptoed into the kitchen and quietly began preparing myself dinner. I darted out with a sandwich in my mouth before Virgo, one of the maids (my favorite), would catch me. I passed by the living room and for once saw my dad watching the new with mild interest. I raised my brow and silently watched the TV.

"There have been three victims in only the last week in Magnolia. The police have said that gangs have been rising out of the shadows and doing recent activity recently. They claimed that these two of these three victims were caught in the crossfire in these alleged gang fights for territory while the beautiful young lady was gang raped but later killed," the newswoman said. "I advise that all citizens make sure they are home before nine. The police say that they are most active in the night. We'll be right back with the news of the newly remodeled chocolate factory in Crocus after this break."

I stared blankly into the TV screen with the CNN music in the background. So I basically had a curfew at nine in the evening. I scoffed, thinking that would barely control all the partiers and college students that go to nightclubs. I didn't understand why in all places there were in Fiore the problem just had to be here in Magnolia. Why couldn't it be in Crocus? This was pretty shitty.

I dumped all my school stuff on my bed, thanking luck once again that I didn't have any homework, but I swore there would be a bucket poured over our heads. Fuck, I already felt the headache coming. I shook my bag one more time and saw a small parchment of neatly folded paper float out of my bag. It landed neatly on the floor right beside my foot. I picked it up and sniffed it and immediately coughed with my nose scrunched in distaste. It smelled like girly perfume. Shuddering from the strong smell, I opened the note carefully to see bold letters in all caps.

**WATCH OUT.**

Well, isn't my high school life just interesting, I thought sarcastically. My hand crumpled up the piece of paper. My gut feeling said it was Sloan. The perfume was a big hint. It smelled exactly like her. This also explained the feeling of being followed earlier when I was walking with Cana and Levy.

Being all ninja-like, I approached the window and gently pulled down one of the blinds. My breath hitched in my throat when I saw a dark silhouette figure just beyond the street lamp. The silhouette slowly walked into the line of light, and the small pinch of fear I felt immediately extinguished.

It was Sloan. Just like I thought.

Frowning bitterly, I was about to leave my window when I heard a scream. I automatically looked through a crack in the blinds and saw Sloan surrounded by an entire gang.

"What the fuck?!" I gasped, tumbling backwards when I saw one of them pull a knife. It flickered in the streetlight. I shut my eyes closed and heard more screaming.

"Stop! No! Leave me alone!"

Holy fuck! Were Cana and Levy okay? I bravely looked through the blinds once again and saw no sign of them. They must have already left some time ago.

What should I do? That question repeated through in my head so many times before it became like a broken record. It kept repeating over and over and over that I wanted to scream in frustration. The first thing I did was that I called the cops. I don't even remember what I said, but all I remember hearing was that they were on their way, which would probably take forever…

Should I be an active or passive bystander? I don't know her that well, and Sloan is a fucking bitch, but she doesn't deserve to die. No one deserves to die, except for those with truly black hearts, but… My eyes widened when my mom's voice suddenly whispered in my head.

"No one has the right to take the life of one another…"

Various images appeared and left so fast, but I could tell it was a memory. I bolted down the stairs making sure not to arouse suspicion from my dad, and put on some sneakers. I looked around frankly for some sort of weapon, and I found a little handy crowbar in the corner.

Opening the door, I ran out onto the front yard and crossed the street, and me, being a fearless bastard, swung the crowbar at the guy wielding the knife just before he stabbed Sloan. He groaned and let go of the knife. Before anyone could register what happened, I swung the crowbar like a fucking kung fu master. Adrenaline is a lifesaver…

Only half of them were down when they finally noticed that some random blonde chick was beating the shit out of them with a crowbar. I made by way over to Sloan but not without a fight.

There was a man that sprung up from the ground and threw three senbon needles at me. I gasped as they plunged into my forearm. I almost dropped my crowbar from the pain if it weren't for the fact that he already was throwing a punch at my face. I barely dodged it, and I swung with all my might. I heard a satisfying crack and chocking gasp before the man fell to the ground. Ignoring the pain in my arm, I made my way to Sloan.

She was on her hands and knees trembling with her eyes wide in horror. I knelt down, putting down the crowbar for a short moment, and grabbed her shoulders and began shaking her.

"Sloan! Sloan! Snap out of it!"

"Y-You? W-Why?" Her voice was so quiet I could barely hear her.

"I couldn't just stand and do nothing while I could save your life, idiot!" I yelled at her. Sloan's looked at me with pure astonishment or maybe she looked at me like I grew another head or something. I growled at her slow response. Instead, I yanked her to a standing position by her forearm along with picking up my crowbar. I wielded it with both hands like it was a sword. The sleazy gang sneered at us in return.

"Seems another hot chick came to join to fun," one cackled.

"Don't underestimate her," a low grumbling voice warned. I sharply glared at this guy, taking in his appearance. Oh Lucy, what the hell did you get yourself into? This guy was a freaking body builder! Huge muscles, rough looking face with a scar running across it, and to complete the look he had some chains gripped in his hands as weapons.

"Don't take a step closer!" I snarled.

"Feisty. I like it," he smirked, a mirthless look in his coal black eyes.

About to lunge at each other, we hear sirens heading in this direction. Sloan and I sigh in utter relief. The big guy with chains swears profanities and tells the rest of his gang to run like hell. He looked back and glared at me.

"Don't dare forget about this, Blondie. Messing with Naked Mummy was a big mistake."

I shuddered as he left with the last laugh. As the cop sirens came closer, I looked at the crowbar in my hands and dropped it like it was poison. Did I really just meddle in a gang fight causing the leader to exact future revenge on me?

Fuck my life…

Sloan and I slowly slid to the ground, and we clutched onto each other like nothing at school ever happened, but instead that we were the best friends in the whole wide world. It was a world of tense silence under a street lamp until I decided to speak with a lost, blank face.

"Did you give me that perfume smelling note?"

Sloan nodded numbly at me.

"Don't do that again."

She nodded.

"At least say something, goddamn it!" I snapped in frustration.

"I take it back. Pretend I never gave you that note."

"O…kay?"

Sloan sighed. "I won't try to make your life miserable, and I'll stay away from you and your group. I owe you that much, but don't expect me to revere you like some kickass goddess or something."

"I didn't expect the latter as much as I'd like you to."

We both let out some dry laughter. Once we got it out of our system, the police and ambulance arrived. My dad came out when the entire ruckus was closing up, and he went straight to the sheriff. Well, this has been a shitload of events, but I felt that everything just doubled when my dad stepped outside the house. When Sloan saw my dad storming towards me to bring me back in the house, she gave me a smile and said, "Thanks Lucy. I mean it."

I grinned. "No problem…"

"And good luck." Sloan nodded past my shoulder, and I saw my father right there with the stoniest face I had ever seen him with.

I sweatdropped. Ah, fuck.

* * *

It's been about an hour since the cops and ambulance left, and here I was sitting in the living room on a sofa with a mug of hot tea and a blanket securely wrapped around me while my dad was sitting in an armchair across from me. His icy stare was on me with his arms folded. I licked my suddenly dry lips to try and say something, but it was just too much, so I sighed and sipped my tea and waited for my father to erupt.

"Lucy…"

Drops of sweat riddled down the side of my brow. His voice was stern just like his face. I was relentlessly chewing my bottom lip to relieve some tension, but it was quite difficult because my dad's face was so fucking scary that I felt like I was about to shit in my pants anytime soon.

"Yes?" I managed to say hesitantly.

"What the hell were you thinking?" My eye twitched when he asked it so calmly. All that tension for nothing…

"I saved a life," I stated.

"You almost ended your own."

"I know…"

There was another tense pause.

"I can't afford to lose you."

My eyes widened substantially. I felt like I was dreaming and that anytime soon I'd be punched in the face to wake up. He actually cared about my well-being? More like he wanted to keep me for his own personal gain, like to marry me off or something…

I glared menacingly at him. "What got you to care now of all times?"

My father only sighed and rubbed his temples before he spoke. "Lucy, you're my only child, and you must stay alive since you'll be taking over the company someday."

"Fuck that. There's no way I'd do all that shit," I said crudely. My father matched my glare with his.

"You don't have a choice."

"I don't have a choice?" I asked, my voice dangerously calm. "Since when?"

"Since you are now under my custody again," he stated matter-of-factly.

Laughter rang in my ears, and it took me a few moments to realize that it was my own. It was a dry, pained laugh.

"That's pretty funny, Jude," I said. "I'm almost eighteen. Once I'm eligible, I'm going to leave this rotten house, and you're _demeaning _presence." I smirked, realizing I used Gray's words.

"It's father to you, young lady," Jude hissed.

"Over my dead body," I snarled.

That was where the conversation ended because I stormed out, with the blanket and cup of tea and all, and gracefully climbed up the stairs into my room. I slammed my door shut before I punched a family portrait of when I was a toddler. I was the time when I was still smiling, when my mother and father were still happy, when I still had people to call a family, and when I still had a place to call a home.

The glass of the frame punctured my fist, and the portrait still hung on the wall with all the attention to stay and mock me. It took me a while to notice that I was bleeding profusely from my hand down to the floor. I was dripping blood. I tensed when I started feeling the stinging and burning pain. Staring at the picture, I couldn't help but let my tears shed as I silently sobbed. I was never able to understand why, but I figured it was out of loneliness, but it was actually out of longing…a longing to have a real family.

* * *

The next day, I arrived to school with a bandaged forearm and fist, which was covered by my cute, fuzzy sweater. I woke up early enough that the first thing I did was that I went to the hospital. As much as I hated that place, it had to do it. It was painful. They had to take out all the glass in my skin and stitch some places up, and they said my forearm would heal in no time if I took care of it well. I remember the nurse telling me to get some rest because I looked like I needed it. So after that comment, I naturally went to the bathroom and was horrified to see that I looked like I was hit by a bloody train. Figure of speech…

My hair was a bit disheveled, and I had bags under my eyes. I set off to work to at least make myself look presentable for the day, so my new friends wouldn't question.

Nothing really special happened that day. Other than the fact that throughout the whole day Sloan's group didn't bother us like she promised.

"Well, that's new," Levy commented as we all seated ourselves at lunch.

"It's a bit peculiar. Do you think she's scheming something?" Cana asked. She took a swig of her booze.

"Who knows?" Lisanna said with a shrug.

"I have a feeling she might," Natsu remarked with a suspicious glance.

"I doubt it," I said. I took a bite out of my salad. Gray looked at me.

"Why do you think that?" he asked.

I almost choked at his intense gaze but was able to keep my cool. I chewed for a moment before swallowing. I looked at him with a frown followed by a shrug. "Just a gut feeling," I lied, remembering the events of last night.

"And you can't ignore a woman's gut feeling," Loke nodded.

"By the way, Gajeel…" I started.

"What is it?"

"…Where's my hot chocolate?" His serious face broke out in shock and disbelief, and I guess it was even funnier that I was dead serious with a deep scowl on my face. Natsu laughed hysterically while Levy snickered behind her hand, muttering, "He's so gonna get it…"

"It's – it's… Someone help me out here!" he yelled as I somehow manage to tower over him while he shrunk into a chibi. I glared at him demonically, a fiery aura surrounding me. I grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and raised my fist, eyes glowing red. That was the moment that Erza started clapping her hands. Everyone turned at looked at the redhead. She had a smirk on her face.

My demonic aura immediately swapped to one of confusion. The hellish background disappeared completely. I heard Gajeel sigh out in relief and mutter a 'thank god'.

"What?" I asked innocently with wide eyes.

"Holy..! She's like my sister!" Lisanna gasped.

Natsu and Loke screamed, eyes comically bulging out of their sockets as they ran around with their arms in the air like madmen. I sweatdropped while Gajeel just blinked stupidly.

"Here we go…" Cana groused, plugging her ears. Lisanna and Levy silently followed her example.

"Mini Erza alert!" Natsu shrieked.

"Mini Mira alert!" Loke screamed at the same time.

They both stopped and glared at each other, flames of different colors bursting in the background. Their heads clashed together.

"She's more like Erza!"

"No, she's more like Mira!"

"Erza!"

"Mira!

"Erza!"

"Mira!"

"Shut up, you idiots!" I yelled in annoyance. I dropped Gajeel to the floor and stomped over to the two bickering men. They shrieked like girls once again, but before they could start running off wildly I grabbed both of their heads and smashed them together. They slid to the floor, seeing stars.

"Wouldn't have done it any other way," Erza said in acknowledgement. Jellal face palmed at this.

"Can all of you be sane for just one day?" Gray asked, rubbing his temples.

Cana laughed. "Now you now that isn't possible, Gray. That's a bit demanding, considering how long you've known us."

"I can't help it. Natsu's screaming gives me a headache."

"What did you say, ice princess?!" Natsu suddenly came back to life, fire seeming to spew out of his mouth. He lunged at Gray. The raven-haired smirked and simply knocked him on the head. I gaped when Natsu was smashed to the ground, twitching to show he was barely alive.

Natsu stood back up shakily and blindly punched the raven-haired boy, but it was the wrong one. Gajeel went sprawling to the floor , of course, after knocking Cana's bottle of wine out of her hand, which smashed to the ground. Gajeel and Natsu continued brawling but didn't notice Cana's demonic aura radiating.

"Get back here, you bastards. You broke my wine bottle!" Cana shouted, racing after Natsu and Gajeel.

Just when I thought things wouldn't get any worse, Loke sprang to life and tried to flirt with me. I freaked out and punched him right in the cheek with my bad fist. He went crashing onto Erza. And you can probably guess how that went…

The pain after I punched was like a punch to the gut but stinging. I grasped cradled my arm as it ached. Me, being as careless as I was, I lifted to inspect my fist, and my cozy sweater sleeve decided to show the world my heavily bandaged arm and fist. Realizing my mistake, I casually rolled down my sleeve. Luckily, it went unnoticed, but to my dismay a certain someone saw it.

"What happened?"

I turned around with wide eyes to see Gray beside me, looking at my concealed arm.

"Nothing, nothing," I brushed off, which made it sound totally unnatural.

"You're a terrible liar," he stated.

"Yes, I've come to realize that," I sardonically replied.

Gray remained silent, pressing no further questions.

"It was self-inflicted," was all I said. I mean, it was partially true, so I wasn't technically telling a lie. I had the inkling feeling that Gray would find out sooner or later. Not just about my arm but everything about me and everything that involved me, which got me wondering.

That guy last night… He said he was in the Naked Mummy gang. _Don't dare forget about this, Blondie._

I shivered involuntarily. My small action didn't go unnoticed by a certain pair of eyes that gazed briefly at me.

What the hell was my life turning into?

* * *

_That was chapter two. Let me know what you think about it._

_Just to let you know, I won't always be giving previews! Sorry about that!_

_Anyway, stay tuned for chapter three!_


	3. Chapter 3

_Fairy Tail and its characters belong to Hiro Mashima-san._

_Sorry for the wait. *bows* I apologize for any grammatical errors; I didn't proof read this to my dismay._

_Please read and review. Enjoy :D _

* * *

**FALLING DEEP**

**Chapter Three**

It's been a few weeks since that day. My fist and arm were healing, but I still wrapped my fist in bandages for some reason. Gajeel was able to pay back the hot chocolate he owed me, not without reminding him of course. I got really acquainted with my new friends, and they got to know me some more too. It was refreshing…to meet new people, especially ones that I look to meet forward everyday because they make me smile.

Erza and I got pretty close since we were so similar. She almost felt like an older sister in a way. We also worked as a team to take care of Natsu and Gajeel and sometimes Loke when they would get into their petty fights. We would spar sometimes, and she'd give me some pretty good pointers to exploit my strengths and work on my weaknesses. When we sparred, she obviously noted the bandaged fist, but she didn't say anything, but her eyes widened almost a fraction from the three scars I received from senbon needles the other night. I was happy she didn't press any questions. But I couldn't help the nagging feeling that she was familiar with it…

Levy and I were also pretty close. She loved books, and I loved books. We discussed stuff other than books obviously. For example, we discussed about relationships and whatnot, and also, she informed me about other details about everyone else in the group that I didn't know. Since we hung around each other a lot, I ended up being dragged in her clumsy accidents, but that made my life so much more fun.

Let's see… Lisanna and I were slightly alike in some way. I couldn't really place it, but I thought it might be because she had a bit of a sarcastic attitude like myself, but she is incredibly sweet and angelic compared to me. We usually team up in homework since we had most of our classes together, so we had this nice partnership, and she was extremely pleasant to talk to about anything because she listens. I noticed that she looks at Natsu quite often, so I figured she had feeling for him but didn't say anything because she was hiding her feelings quite well actually. She made it tricky for me, but I found out. I never teased her about; I only gave her the thumbs up.

Cana and I were on good terms. She's the one that pops out of nowhere and gives me advice about getting a guy, having sex, partying, etc. Sometimes, she just talked to me, rambling on and on about the should and should not's, which I was actually glad she was there for. There was this one time I asked if Lisanna's older sister was like her. She snorted and said that she was no matchmaker. The only thing she did was give advice about her experiences being with guys while Mira is more of a motherly figure that can be quite the devil.

With Juvia, well, she's the only girl that I wasn't really close to. I didn't know much about her. She got along great with all the other girls except myself. I probably gave her a bad vibe or something. Maybe she thought that I would steal Gray from her. It's not like she had a chance anyway (and myself for that matter) because he barely glances at her and only looks annoyed with her obsessive behavior towards him but treats her politely nonetheless.

As for the boys…

Natsu and I hit it off after the first few days. We were like brother and sister. But honestly, most of the time I felt like his mother because I felt in charge with his cute, childish behavior; scolding him for doing what he's not supposed to be doing. I also noticed that he might have feelings for Lisanna. Sometimes I catch him gazing at her with an emotion I've never seen in him before. I talked to him about it, and he admitted it, seeing no point to hide the truth when it was so obvious for me to have already caught on. I encouraged him and told him to go for it when he was ready. Also, I found out that he's not incredibly dense to when I first believed.

Gajeel is freaking awesome. I see why Levy likes him. Ever since the hot chocolate thing, he has respected me. Once we got to know each other better, we were the pair that came up with pranks since we were just that type of people. When we get serious and mad, together we make a badass team. He was a reliable friend, and when I needed to talk about something he would listen and even give advice and suggest a few things. Basically, he was like an older brother that I loved to tease.

Jellal was interesting. Honestly, we weren't that close. He was probably the guy I was farthest from, but I can see why Erza likes him. He's mature, intellectual, and the only one that can calm the redhead when she's on a rampage but chooses not to because it's always so damn hilarious to watch the outcome. He was like some psychologist that knew all these mind tricks…

He's the guy I go to when I need to cool off. When I'm mad and silently seething of something, I always play a game of chess or cards with him, which helps me to completely forget why I was mad in the first place. He kicked my ass in chess, but I always gave him a run for his money when we played cards.

Okay, Loke was a terrible flirt. He was the type of guy that usually I could never stand, but Loke was hilarious. He was the one that Gajeel and I pranked more often than the others. His reaction was the funniest thing ever. We were on friendly terms. I could rely on him when I was in trouble or whatnot. He seemed like the type of guy that would deal with any girl if they had any depression and needed to do…_that._ Not that I would want to get myself meddled into that territory with him…

Then Gray and I… We were neither close nor far from each other. We enjoyed each other's company. He wasn't one to talk much, so whenever I needed peace and quiet I hung around him, and he didn't seem to mind. I honestly don't know where I stood with him; I never know what's on his mind… Was I a burden or entertainment? Or something else?

Overall, I haven't been this happy in such a long time. It was great to feel this way, but there was one concern that lagged in the back of my mind.

I was pretty paranoid after that freak showed up near my house that other night, trying to have fun with us, myself and Sloan. _Don't dare forget this, Blondie_. I was slightly relieved that the herculean gangster's words were an empty threat because nothing bad has happened to me as of yet, but it didn't help suppress the gutsy feeling I would get walking alone anywhere.

It was a cold December evening when I left school late because I finished up an art project and helped the teacher with cleaning the room up for the next day. It was cold and late, and the walking distance to my house wasn't all that far. Maybe fifteen minutes. On my way home there were barely any people on the streets, and I couldn't help but feel my gut clenching and unclenching uncomfortably. I was queasy every time I passed an alleyway. When I thought I was overreacting, a large hand covered my mouth and a strong, muscular arm wrapped around my waist.

A jolt of panic spread through me, adrenaline kicking in. I struggled futilely, eyes wide with terror. I was suddenly forced on the ground on my stomach. A warm breath, chuckled in my ear.

"Hey there, Blondie. Remember me?"

Oh dear mother fucking god… It was that same voice. I stopped struggling, paralyzed in fear that he would kill me in one move.

"I told you not to forget me. Did you?"

I shook my head stiffly, horrified.

"Good. Now, before I kill you I'm going to have some fun." He laughed this time, a deep hearty one. I was too sick to react when he ripped off my warm coat. The cold air immediately started to pierce my skin causing me to shiver in fright and from the cold. When this man slid his hand under my shirt, I flinched at the contact. Realization hit me that I was going to be raped. I was going to be raped, and there was no one that could help me. This sudden epiphany had me scream.

"Get your filthy hands off me!"

My sudden struggle to fight knocked this man off guard. I went running after that, but his whole gang quickly surrounded me.

"You ain't getting away this time, Blondie. I'll make sure of it. Naked Mummy will make sure there isn't a piece of you left after I'm done with you."

He advanced towards me, and I froze, completely forgetting Erza's tips about fighting. I fell to me knees and covered my hands pathetically over my head and shut my eyes closed. I waited for impact, but I opened my eyes, surprised that I didn't feel his sleazy hands touching me. My eyes widened at the familiar figure. I was speechless in amazement and from fear from the whole goddamn mess happening in the first place.

There, in front of me, was no other than Gray.

How the hell did he get here, and when he appeared? No clue…

I admired him from behind and couldn't help but note that he looked so badass and awesome. Gray had his hands shoved in his pockets of his jeans, which had a belt and a chain limply hanging from the side. But what caught my attention the most was that he was wearing a white short-sleeved collar shirt and no jacket. _No jacket_. It was fucking below freezing outside! This guy…

"Well, if it isn't Gray Fullbuster." The leader of the Naked Mummy gang said it with such venom I cringed. Gray only looked at him impassively. Wait a damn second! How the fuck did this guy know Gray?!

"Zato."

"You were interrupting my fun…" This Zato guy grinned wickedly. His teeth gleamed in the moonlight, and that's when I realized his full set of teeth was made of gold.

One of his men screamed a battle cry and lunged at Gray. I was about to scream for him to get out of the way, but it seemed pointless. He was so relaxed and nonchalant. I gasped in amazement when Gray caught the fist easily with one hand. The poor guy turned pale white and yelped in pain. I wondered why until I heard it…

_Cr-cr-crack!_

The man screamed in pure agony.

"Tch. Weak…" Gray swapped him aside without a glance.

I covered my gaping mouth when I saw his mangled hand. Just with one squeeze Gray crushed this man's hand as if it were nothing. That was just insane. It was like he was some supernatural creature… My eyes widened like dinner plates.

Holy shit! Was he a vampire or something?! No, no, no, I quickly denied to myself inwardly. There was no such thing… But how else did it explain everything else about him...?

Gray and this Zato bastard went head on. As fast as it started, it ended just as such with just a few cool ninja moves that Gray had under his sleeve. I watched him from afar as he stepped on Zato's head. I couldn't hear him speaking, but I pretty sure that he was saying something pretty scary since a flash of fear cross Zato's face. After that, the poor guy and what was left of his so-called gang scurried off.

There was deafening silence after that. I sighed in relief, but I immediately tensed when I saw Gray walking towards me, his footsteps crushing the gravel under his feet. It wasn't until he offered his hand that I relaxed. I hesitantly accepted it with my good hand. As he lifted me up with graceful ease, I was amazed at the feel of my small, soft hand against his large, rough one. Almost gasping, I suddenly felt a small tingle shoot through my arm just from the small contact. Before I could think about it further, I collided into his chiseled chest.

Mother of god, why the fuck did he have to unbutton the first few?!

Obviously being smothered into his godly chest, I caught of whiff of him and his scent was clearly masculine. Must be a type of magical cologne because he smelled amazing! Fuck, I sound like I'm going nuts! Focus, goddamn it, focus, Lucy.

Somehow surviving this predicament, I was able to snap back to the world to notice that he let go of my hand. I suddenly backed away with a nervous smile.

"You all right?" Gray asked, his velvet, deep voice penetrating my very being.

"Uh…um…er…yeah, I'm fine," I said shakily. I mentally face palmed. Way to go, Lucy. Way to go…

Gray didn't say anything but just looked at me before turning around and walking away. I blankly stared at his retreating back in stupor from the recent events, not noticing that he picked up my warm coat along the way. He turned back around and raised a brow.

"Are you just going to stand there or what?" he asked.

I blinked.

"Are you proposing I follow you?" I asked.

"Do you want to get home or not?"

I sighed, deciding to tag along with him. We walked through the alley way and appeared back on the streets. Like when I first exited the school, there was barely anyone around. Empty. Completely empty… I wondered if it was around the time of the curfew. I continued following Gray. I didn't notice that he stopped, so of course me being me I ran into him.

I laughed nervously. "Haha, sorry."

"It's fine," was his curt reply before he handed me my coat and a helmet.

"But what about yourself?" I asked, noticing there was no other helmet. I eagerly put on my coat, no longer wanting to be in the dreadful cold.

"I'll be fine."

I stared dumbly at the helmet. Not wanting to make a fool of myself again, I put the damn thing on and climbed onto his motorcycle right behind him. Well, this was completely nerve-wracking… I mean, imagine a hot guy saving you from being raped, offering you a ride home, then letting you ride on his badass motorcycle, lastly letting you put his arms around him, so you won't pitifully fall to your death… My life was just amazing.

The roar of Gray's motorcycle scared the living shit out of me, which of course caused me to tighten my hold to a vice-like grip and bury my head into his back. Luckily he didn't seem to mind…

We zoomed through the city, both of us quiet. I was mesmerized by the beautiful city lights that sped past me at an alarming rate that they seemed like a sea of colors. As time passed, my grip loosened slightly, and I was able to completely relax against Gray's back. I was enjoying myself; I felt free.

The wind blew my blonde hair back and caressed my skin. I didn't feel cold in the slightest, which surprised me, but I then concluded that it was Gray's body heat. He was warm just like any other human being. My brows rose as I realized this. So that meant he wasn't a vampire… Maybe a werewolf?

Gray stopped at a red light, the engine softy humming. I took that chance to ask.

"Hey Gray…" I called thoughtfully.

"Hm?"

"Are you human?"

I almost laughed at how stupid it sounded but stayed quiet to hear his answer. A moment passed, and I bet his eyes held amusement, or maybe he felt the urge to drag his palm across his face at my stupid question.

Gray chuckled. "Yes, I'm human."

I grinned. "I bet you already know why I asked."

"I have an idea."

The light turned green before I could reply. Once again we raced through the city. Since I was enjoying myself so much I didn't even noticed that Gray stopped in front of my house. So, yes, I was still holding onto him and looking around. I could feel his silent amusement.

"Lucy," he said.

"Yeah?"

"This is your place, right?"

I looked at the house he parked in front of. I frowned. Yes, sadly it was. Then it dawned on me then and there. How the hell did Gray know where I even lived?!

"How..?" I asked, unable to properly form words.

"Levy and Cana."

"Ah, makes sense."

I begrudgingly let go of Gray's torso and got off his bike. I took of his helmet and handed it to him, running a hand through my wild hair while he took it. I then gazed at him with a small, gentle smile.

"Thanks for everything."

Gray smirked. "No problem. Be careful, will you."

I rolled my eyes at how he demanded rather than asked me to. I raised my arms in cease-fire and said, "Hey, I try my best all the time. I swear. Wherever I go there just happens to be something going on."

"Guess I'll have to keep an eye on you myself then."

My heart skipped a beat. "I'm capable of taking care of myself," I said with a slight frown.

Gray arched an elegant brow. "Oh, really? With what just happened? I'm not so sure."

He had a point right there.

"Well, I guess everyone needs a hand once in a while," I reasoned more to myself with a tiny smile. Better to agree than feel insulted and yell and argue and end up needing his help in the end.

"Better than nothing," Gray agreed. "Hey, Friday after school are you doing anything?"

Mother of fucking god! Was he asking me out?! No way, just no way. My life can't be _this _perfect. "Um, no why?" I asked, inwardly cheering myself a parade because I didn't stammer.

"I wanted to ask you a few questions."

My inner joy immediately deflated in disappointment. I couldn't believe I was actually thinking that my life was so perfect. I inwardly chastised myself for being a stupid girl with selfish fantasies.

"All right, sure," I said, trying to sound as normal as possible.

"Great. Take care."

And with that, Gray put on his helmet and ignited his motorcycle. He zoomed off down the street into the night. I was left standing there on the front porch of my house completely dumfounded at my life once again.

XxX

Before I knew it, Friday came like a splash to the face. I meant it literally. I stayed up so late doing homework last night that I even fell asleep at my desk. Virgo, the head maid, usually shook me awake, but since that didn't work she had to resort to other methods, which lead to a bucket of ice water being splashed onto my face. It wasn't pleasant… I almost ended up strangling her out of reflex.

I went to school and everything, but the only thing that was different was my fist was no longer wrapped anymore. Luckily there was no scarring, so it looked completely normal like it did before I punched the living daylights out of my family portrait. I was happy that it didn't gain a lot of attention. Only Natsu, Erza, and Levy noticed and smiled, telling me that they were glad I healed. Another thing that I found bizarre was that Juvia was trying to be nice to me. Key word: _trying_. She'd always end up glaring at me. But hey, she was trying.

The main thing that was on my mind the entire day was what Gray would ask me after school was over. It could be anything. My gut told me it would be mainly about what happened the other night, and maybe a few more questions about my injuries, which would be related to the topic.

There was one thing that caught my attention though. It was during lunch. I was sitting across from Cana that day. As usual, Natsu got in an argument with someone, and today it happened to be with Gajeel, which was no big surprise. Those two imbeciles bickered every fucking day. Anyway, obviously, since when the two start fighting it caused a string of events, which lead to Cana's drink being spilled all over her blouse. Her reaction was slow. At first, she looked at her ruined blouse. She lifted her blouse to inspect it, and that's when I saw it. On her left waist was a black tattoo, the same one as Levy's. Now _that _really aroused suspicion. Two people having the same tattoo… That had me wondering if all of them had it. I keenly inspected the group one by one as Cana exploded in fury. I didn't see the same tattoo on anyone else. I was about to shrug it off like the first time, but my eyes widened a fraction when I saw Natsu's sleeve slide up from his fight with Gajeel. There it was. The same tattoo – the one that looked like a fairy or some bird, except his was in red.

Something fishy was going on here…

I decided then and there that I would take advantage of the meeting with Gray. Not only is he going to ask questions but myself as well.

XxX

The bell rang in my ears. At the same time, I heard the screeching of chairs, squeaky footsteps, and raised voices. Unlike the other students, I finished up my painting. Once I completed it, I set it on a rack then cleaned up my area. While doing so, I looked out the window like any other person would do and saw Gray coolly leaning on his motorcycle. That's when I remembered he was waiting for me.

"Shit," I murmured softly, so the art teacher wouldn't hear me. This is what art did to me – I completely forget things that I'm supposed to do.

Without wasting another second, I dashed out of there and ran to my locker. I stuffed all the necessary things I needed for the weekend and ran through the halls and down the stairs, skipping a few at a time. I made it outside and jumped over the stone steps onto the pathway leading to the courtyard and eventually to the parking lot. I felt myself grinning as I made my way over to Gray. Not wanting to look like an idiot, I rubbed my cheeks while mentally reminding myself that this wasn't a date as much as I'd like to pretend it to be.

"Sorry, I had to finish up in the art room," I explained with a sheepish smile.

Gray shook his head. "That's fine. Here," he said, handing me his helmet. He then climbed onto his motorcycle, waiting patiently.

I wordlessly placed the damn thing over my head and climbed on his bike behind him and wrapped my arms around his torso like I did only a few nights ago. Like that night, I tightly clung onto him in the beginning as the motorcycle lurched forward. Minutes passed by when we arrived in front of a cute little café. Gray parked, and we climbed off. I took of the helmet, snarling softy when my I felt my hair being completely disobedient. I scowled as I tried to fix it. Gray chuckled in amusement before taking the helmet away from me and placing his hand on my head. My eyes widened, somehow reading his mind for once.

"Don't–" I started, but immediately sighed, glaring at him as he ruffled my hair anyway.

Before I could say or even do anything, Gray already entered the café, leaving poor me behind with a deep disapproving frown on my face. I muttered a few profanities as I followed after him all the while combing my stupid hair with my fingers as best as I could.

Entering the café, the smell of coffee hit me, and I couldn't help but sigh contently. The atmosphere was friendly and relaxed – a great place to be after school if you know what I mean. Spotting Gray sitting outside, I went to the back of the café before opening the door to be greeted by warm air. Yes, today, unlike all those other days, it was actually somewhat warm. The type of warm where just bathing in the sun gives you warmth while being in the shade with a breeze passing by sent chills through your body.

I pulled the chair from the table and sat down across from Gray. He apparently ordered something already because the waiter already started strolling away before I even ordered. About to call the guy back, Gray stopped me.

"Don't worry," he said, "I already ordered for you."

I raised a brow at this. It's not like he knew me that well. "What exactly did you order?"

"Hot chocolate."

Scratch that – he knew me pretty damn well.

"Lucky guess," I crookedly smiled.

"I didn't really have to guess. Only a few weeks ago you were demanding hot chocolate from Gajeel," he reminded.

"Good point. I almost forgot about that," I praised, reminiscing. "So what did you want to ask me about?" As I asked this, I noted that we were the only ones outside.

"Your scars."

"My scars?" I repeated, tilting my head ever so slightly.

"May I see them?"

Lifting my arm on the table, I laid it out in front of him, thinking there was no harm in it. He may just be concerned. Gray critically examined them, his fingers gently tracing over the scarred tissue. My hand clenched involuntarily as his touch tingled against my skin, leaving a trail of fire. My heart was racing a mile a minute, but I stayed perfectly still. In the silence, I swore he could hear my heart pounding. Thanking god when he was done, I started to pull back, but Gray firmly grasped my wrist, tugging it gently, signaling me that he wasn't finished. His warm hands then trailed up to my fist, inspecting it deftly before setting it down gently. I breathed deeply; making sure it wasn't loud enough to voice my discomfort.

Holy fuck, I'm felt like I was going to die from cardiac arrest there!

"Is that all?" I asked meekly. I mentally screamed at myself for being so easily affected by Gray. Damn him and his attractive self… When I thought his appearance was a weapon, I was proven wrong when his touch made my legs feel incapable of proper movement.

Gray's eyes stared me down with new intensity. I'll take that as a no then…

"You told me your injury on your fist was self-inflicted, but those" – Gray looked at my forearm – "are not. What happened?"

It wouldn't hurt to tell the truth… But I wasn't going to slip the answers out of my mouth so easily.

I smirked. "Before we start this interrogation, I think it would only be fair that I could ask some questions myself."

Gray smirked back. "Of course."

"You know how Sloan hasn't bothered us?"

He nodded.

"Reason is because I saved her life."

"Go on."

"Well, she followed me home apparently to scare me, but before that could happen she got surrounded by a gang outside my house. Me, being an active bystander, I went outside and saved her sorry ass. During the fight, one of the men threw some senbon needles at me, and that's how I got this," I explained truthfully.

"And what gang was this?" he asked.

I cleared my throat, smiling as I saw the waiter appear. He set down the hot chocolate in front of me then set down some tea for Gray. We waited until he went back inside. I took a sip of my hot chocolate.

"It's my turn to ask a question," I reminded flatly.

"Shoot."

"Do you have a tattoo?"

Gray blinked, raising a brow. "Yes."

"Naked Mummy," I answered his earlier question.

Gray's face remained impassive, but his face seemed slightly more tense than usual. To my utter surprise, both shocking and satisfying, he starting unbuttoning his shirt.

"What are you doing?!" I flustered.

"Showing you my tattoo."

I turned away, mumbling about damn psychic abilities because I was about to ask if I could see it. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Gray smirk, and I guessed that he heard me. Deciding to keep quiet, I waited for his tattoo to be revealed. My eyes dilated when I saw the same tattoo as Levy, Cana, and Natsu except a dark blue color on his left pec. I knew exactly what my next question was going to be.

"Were you threatened?" he asked, buttoning his shirt back up.

_Don't dare forget about this, Blondie._

I pursed my lips. "Not really, but I guess so. I mean, he just said not to forget about it, but I guess that counts as a threat." I paused, letting that information sink in his mind before asking my next question. "I noticed that Cana, Levy, and Natsu have the same exact tattoo. Is it just coincidence, or does it mean something?"

"The whole group has it," Gray replied, eyes guarded like always. "It's a reminder," he then added.

I shivered. The way he said it was so ominous. I decided that I wouldn't press any more on the tattoo topic but focus on something else.

"Who threatened you?"

"The man that tried to rape me. Zato, I believe."

Gray's face remained the same. The extra tenseness was still there. Damn, he was good at hiding his emotions…

"You and uh…Zato spoke to each other with familiarity. Do you know him?" I asked.

There was a short silence. I looked into Gray's eyes to see any sort of emotion, but the only thing I saw was a shroud of mystery.

"I knew his older brother."

When he said that, it made my gut clench uncomfortably. That made me realize that his strength, build, and personality wasn't just Gray but something more. He was this way for a reason. He was dangerous. I bet he sensed it because he smirked at me, his mysterious eyes twinkling with something I couldn't name. It was like he was telling me I was playing with fire.

"Lucy, you have no idea what you're getting yourself into hanging around us."

My eyes narrowed. "Is that a challenge?"

Gray leaned back in his chair and put his hands behind his head, analyzing me with his eyes before his stupidly hot smirk spread across his lips.

"It seems you've already tackled the challenge head on. Too late to back out already… It's going to get worse from here," he warned.

I don't know what the hell he was talking about with this challenge and all or whatever, but this definitely clarified that his group was out of the ordinary. Since I was hanging around them a lot that meant I was basically already one of them to spectators eyes. He was right. I couldn't pull myself out of this even if I wanted to. I smirked back at him.

"Wasn't planning too."

* * *

_And this is where the chapter ends._

_Stay tuned :)_


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